Kimmy Petillot (Tangren)

ED 304

Generative Topic Map

Subject: American Sign Language (ASL)

Grade: 9-12th
Generative Topic: Effective Communication

Purpose: Communication will affect every aspect of a students life, whether that is socially,
academically, etc. Learning how to effectively communicate with others will be a valuable skill
for them to develop not only for those who are deaf, but with any situation they will encounter.
Many misunderstandings in our society could be solved if we understood each other better.

Pre-Assessment: Sign some sentences to all of the students and have them record what they
understood from it. This will help to show how much they already know in ASL.

Understanding Goals: Students will understand the basics of ASL in order communicate with
those within the deaf community and other people more effectively.

Performance Goals: Students will be able to communicate with someone who is deaf while
doing various activities with them throughout the day.

Knowledge Construction:

Concept Order:
The Alphabet
Basic phrases and greetings (For example, Hello, my name is, How are you?, etc.)
Basic words (For example cat, food, car, etc.)
Sentence structure and how to form basic conversations
More complex words (For example exciting, nervous, birthday, etc.)
Eye contact and lip reading
Understanding ASL and interpreting meaning
Deaf culture
How to use all of these skills to have effective communication
Concept: Deaf Culture
Defining Features: The deaf culture is a group of individuals who use American Sign Language
(ASL) as their primary method of communication and have a shared set of values, beliefs, and
experiences relating to deafness.

Correlational Features: People who can speak using ASL are usually a part of the deaf culture.
Prototype: A person who shares an experience relating to deafness with others, such as being
born deaf, and uses ASL to communicate.
Positive Instances: A person who is not deaf, but uses ASL to communicate with family or
friends.
Negative Instances: A person who was born deaf, but is able to hear through the use of a
cochlear implant and does not know how to use ASL to communicate.

Overgeneralize: ASL is used by people who are deaf.

Under-generalize: Anyone who is born deaf or hard of hearing is part of the deaf culture.
Misconception: Everyone who knows ASL is part of the deaf culture.

An example which could be used in a lesson on deaf culture comes from a study by Belinda
Hardin (2014) where certain individuals who used ASL were asked how they felt about deafness.
One participant stated the following:
I am Deaf, I am a part of the community. I dont consider myself with a disability. I have
my own language, and I have my own history, I have my own stories about the deaf
schools and different things. A lot has changed, you know over the many years, but
ASLs my primary language. And its beautiful to me, the culture itself. (2014)

Resources:

Hardin, B. D. (2014). Family-centered practices and American Sign Language (ASL):

Challenges and recommendations. Exceptional Children, 81(1), 107-123. Retrieved from
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=6073ca68-c28f-42da-bb83-
74b9cc803be6%40sessionmgr4002&vid=0&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpd
mU%3d#AN=100104532&db=pbh